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Press Releases: E-Gov & IT General

July 24, 2002

OMB Releases New Business Reference Model to Improve Agency Management

Early Application Critical to Citizen Service

Washington, D.C. - The Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) Federal Enterprise Architecture Program Management Office
today launched the Federal Enterprise Architecture Business Reference
Model, the first component of the Architecture, an analytical tool that
will help federal agencies responsibly and accurately plan and budget
for their capital investments, initially for information technology (IT).
The Business Reference Model provides a common understanding of the federal
Government’s business operations. A background summary follows,
as does a high-level representation of the model.

”The Federal Enterprise Architecture, as the name suggests, provides
a foundation for the effective implementation of the President’s
agenda,“ said Mark Forman, Associate Director for Information Technology
and E-Government. At its core, E-Government will make the government
more cost effective and responsive to citizens’ needs. Its applications
are widespread and important, and include support for homeland security
and other critical business areas of the government.

”This is a quantum leap for the federal government’s ability
to focus investments on delivering better results for the citizen, and
to avoid the overlap and duplication found by last year’s E-Government
Task Force. For the first time, this tool provides us with the capability
to look across agencies and identify high-payoff opportunities for applying
IT and management reforms, and for taxpayers to get the best return on
their money.“

The Business Reference Model provides a common understanding of the
federal government’s business operations and outlines three main
business areas: citizen services, supporting delivery of these services,
and internal operations. The Model sets standard business functions that
allow agencies to facilitate their own process of achieving program goals
and objectives, and that identify potential opportunities for cross-agency
collaboration. It will also assist the agencies and OMB in making IT
investment decisions in the Fiscal Year 2004 budget, according to the
OMB Circular A-11 Guidance. The Business Reference Model will evolve
over time from this initial release (Version 1.0) through use and comment.

OMB will release the full Federal Enterprise Architecture to agencies
in a two-phase process through the website, www.feapmo.gov.